Spring is in the air and we can't wait to celebrate with you! This special day of training brings together experts in the field of nature-based early learning to share ideas and practices with a variety of hands-on sessions to choose from. 

ANBE will provide a professional development certificate at the conclusion of the event. Please dress for the weather, as most of this training takes place outdoors, rain or shine. Coffee/tea with lite breakfast and lunch is included, but remember your canteen for drinks throughout the day. 

A professional development certificate will be issued following the conclusion of the event which can be submitted for VA Sate Continuing Ed Hours. Confirm eligibility through your VA DOE licensing representative and reach out to programs@anbe.org with any questions!  

Note: We strive for zero waste during our events; please bring your canteen for drinks.

Who Should Attend?

This training is ideal for educators, caregivers, and others working with young children ages 2 to 8. Our participants work in all kinds of settings, from nature-based schools and forest kindergartens to public schools, traditional preschools, HeadStart programs, child care settings, and more.

Workshop Descriptions:

Spring Plant Walk

with Bodhi Vasilopoulos

Nature is abundant with food, medicine & more yet we have forgotten our ancient ways of working with the botanical and fungal relatives growing all around us. Learning about wild foods takes some time and focus but in the process we are rewarded with greater health, happiness, resilience and connection to the natural world. In this walk we will cover topics such as:

• Plant and mushroom identification
• How to harvest sustainably and prepare different wild edible foods throughout the seasons
• Basics of botany, mycology, field herbalism and medicinal preparations
• Planting & propagation techniques
• Agroforestry principles & practices
• Temperate ecology...and more!

Social Emotional Learning Through Nature

with Jason Lee

Being in Nature is naturally calming to most people. As Nature Based Educators, especially for those working in Early Childhood, it is so important to help children practice social and emotional skills that will be necessary throughout life. If planted and nurtured correctly children will grow in important skills like problem solving, emotion identification, emotional regulation, empathy and more. Come learn nature-based mindfulness and self-regulation techniques to help guide students through their ever growing emotional awareness!

Natural Assessment: Documenting Emergent Learning

with Monica French

Meaningful documentation in emergent learning settings makes the purpose of an event, experience, or development visible. In this course, educators will learn how to naturally build an assessment portfolio for children that demonstrates student learning through evidence such as photographs, artwork, observational drawings, records of conversations, and anecdotal notes. Learn to transform these artifacts to tell a story that takes your audience deeper into children's wonderings, observations, and learning.

Firemaking

with Bill Kaczor and Eden Cornelius

Get ready for an outdoor adventure as we dive into the age-old art of generating fire through friction in our interactive workshop! Experience the captivating skill of using a bow drill for fire creation, an essential survival technique that also sparks an exciting journey of discovery. This isn't just about learning a useful skill - it's about sparking a sense of wonder and admiration for our ancestors who relied on this incredible method for survival and advancement! This is your chance to tap into the wisdom of the past, so don't miss out!

Meet Your Presenters!

Jason Lee - Director of Epiphany Preschool

Jason is a teacher, director, husband, father, and all around nature lover. He grew up in Arlington, VA with an urban landscape as his front yard and a forest as his backyard. He has been an Early Childhood Educator for over 20 years. During this time he worked in almost every teaching role there is as well as many different administrative positions. Jason began his journey into Nature-Based Education 7 years ago and during those last 7 years he has grown a greater appreciation for the magic that he'd observed in Early Childhood settings and the impact that educators can have on developing resilient well-rounded people and students of life. Jason has a Bachelors degree in Elementary Education, and is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Curriculum Design. Jason is also an ANBE level 2 certified Nature-Based Teacher.

Bodhi Vasilopoulos - Founder of Nature's Love and Wisdom

Bodhi is a passionate forest gardener, herbalist, naturalist, and teacher. His teaching explores the intersection of foraging, agroforestry and food systems with ecology, activism, and cultural transformation. He offers immersive, educational and transformational workshops, retreats and courses. Bodhi also helps manage Forested, a regenerative food forest farm and education center working to expand forest agriculture in DC and Maryland. With a BS in environmental science and engineering, multiple technical certifications, and a decade of experience working with the land, he applies the skills and knowledge he has acquired towards his service to life on Earth. 

Monica French - Director of Carrie Murray Nature Center

Monica French is a lifelong Baltimore city resident, currently directing the Carrie Murray Nature Center based in Gwynns Falls Leakin Park. She has over two decades of combined experience working in early childhood education and nature-based education as a teacher, administrator, and teacher trainer. She co-founded the Forest Preschool at CMNC, and continues her work of connecting children to nature throughout Baltimore city and beyond!

Bill Kaczor - CEO and Lead Instructor at Ancestral Knowledge

Bill is the CEO and co-founder of Ancestral Knowledge. Bill has worked and studied intensively with the masters in the fields of; youth mentoring, naturalist studies, primitive technology and tracking. He has been teaching children and adults in these subjects since 1998 — Bill was a lead instructor at Children of the Earth Foundations- Coyote Tracks summer camps for 5 years, and two years as the assistant director. He has instructed students at the University of Maryland, Georgetown University, Rivercane & Falling Leaves Rendezvous, Mid-Atlantic Primitive Skills Gathering (MAPS Meet), Bill can often be found instructing at Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School teaching primitive traps, bow making, flint knapping, pottery and hide tanning. In 1999 after 11 years, Bill chose to leave his skateboard/snowboard business and dedicate his life to helping people connect with the Earth through ancient skills. Shortly afterwards, Bill designed and was granted an after school and summer program for the 21st Century Learning Community in Public School District 150 of Peoria, Illinois. This program was successful in that it led the children to a respect for nature, respect for themselves and others, self-discipline and adventure. Bill is a specialist in bow making, stone tool technologies, hide tanning, fire by friction and hunting and experienced in many more skills.